Virtual Classroom Walk-Through Look-Fors

A quick perusal of various professional journals and posts makes apparent there are almost as many instructional models being implemented now as there are school districts! What’s a leader to do to ensure sound instruction no matter where it is occurring?

The New Leaders group recently published Virtual Look-Fors for School Leaders: Supporting Instruction During COVID-19 Online & Remote Learning. It’s a comprehensive document, divided into three areas:

• Content Look-Fors

• Teacher Look-Fors

• Student Look-Fors

These look-fors are also quite applicable to non-virtual instruction.

Furthermore, it is a Google document, so leaders are able to make electronic copies for immediate use. An added bonus is the document provides low-inference (objective) data to provide feedback to the teacher and to differentiate support. Indeed, this two-page document is a powerful resource as leaders navigate classroom observations and feedback in multiple instructional settings!

New Leaders. (2020). Virtual Look-Fors: Supporting Instruction | COVID-19. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ngpWVVlLoLx0cTAYEWYaNMxnBFCGNrERhj0JYFRjMPs/edit

Leading with Joy

In Leading with Joy: The Influential Role of a Principal, authors Sterret and Hill-Black share that the role of principal has been compared to among other things “putting out fires.” They argue, however, that “principals are uniquely poised to nourish a learning climate, gently and consistently, through a ‘watering can’ that enables innovation, collaboration, and growth.”  They share several strategies principals can leverage to foster collaboration and affirm successes from within the building.  We extend this concept to leading remotely and virtually as well.  Look at the five ways you can be more impactful as a leader by reading the entire article.

Additionally, today’s TXTS4 Leaders is our last issue for the 2019-2020 school year. As fellow educators and leaders, we recognize under the best of circumstances the end of the school year is bittersweet. This one is likely even more so, and your work over the summer will be nothing short of ground-breaking. We honor the extraordinary leadership you provided to your schools and communities these past few months. Although your summer plans may be more virtual than actual, we wish you time to re-collect, re-create, and rejuvenate. Here’s to the “watering can” that nurtures your joy!